The Resilient Conservative Majority

Gallup had a poll recentlypublished a poll which shows that at the end of 2012, self-identified conservatives still outnumbered liberals in every state of the nation except for two -- Rhode Island has fewer conservatives (27.8%) than liberals (28.3% liberal), as does Massachusetts (28.3% to 30.5%). Gallup curiously does not play up the ideological gap. Instead, the February 1, 2013 article title given by Gallup was "Alabama, North Dakota, Wyoming Most Conservative States. Americans slightly less conservative, slightly more liberal[.]"

This apparent interest in hiding the conservative advantage in America is pervasive; the Gallup Polls invariably have titles to news stories which would cause no one to get curious. The Gallup Poll data twelve months earlier showed the same dramatic conservative advantage. So did the February 2011 Gallup Poll, entitled "Mississppi rates as Most Conservative US State." The August 2010 Gallup Poll tells us that "Wyoming, Mississippi, Utah rank as Most Conservative States." The February 2010 Gallup Poll reads, "Ideology: Three Deep South States Most Conservative." Gallup in August 2009 featured the headline "Political Ideology: 'Conservative' Label Prevails in South[.]"

A closer look at Gallup's polling results shows something startling. In February 2012, Gallup reported that conservatives outnumbered liberals in every state but Massachusetts. In February 2011, Gallup polling results showed that conservatives outnumbered liberals in every single state. The August 2010 results showed that conservatives outnumber liberals in every state but Rhode Island. In August 2009, Gallup polls showed that conservatives outnumbered liberals in every single state. The February 2009 poll showed conservatives outnumbering liberals in every state of the union.

As I have been pointing out for many years, the Battleground Poll results -- and there have been dozens of them in the last twelve years -- have always shown not only that self-identified conservatives outnumber liberals by a wide margin, but that conservatives constitute year in and year out about six out of every ten Americans, even when "Moderate" and "Unsure" are included as non-conservatives.

Left-leaning polling organizations like Public Policy Polling, in the aftermath of Obama's re-election, nevertheless reported that "very conservative" voters constituted 15% of respondents and "somewhat conservative" was 24%, while "very liberal" was 11% and "somewhat liberal" was 18%.

Other polling organizations which rely upon local news organizations for their results show the same pattern. A poll in January 2013, for example, showed that in Minnesota, conservatives outnumbered liberals 30% to 13%. In Connecticut, conservatives outnumber liberals by 26% to 20%. In Ohio, conservatives constituted 34% of respondents and liberals 18%. In Washington State, the conservative advantage over liberals was 34% to 20%. Other state polls show the same remarkable conservative advantage.

If only one poll or one polling organization showed the huge advantage that conservatives have over liberals, then that might be dismissed as flawed methodology or -- as many conservatives have sourly suggested -- the idea that people who call themselves "conservative" really don't know what the word means. But, again, the sheer volume of polls, the consistency of the ideological gap, and the constancy of the ideology gap undo this argument.

Why, then, do liberals have so much political success? One answer is voter fraud, which is why Democrats fought voter identification cards, and the other obstacle is the left's control of every institution in society. These, however, are only part of the story.

The principal problem is that Republicans act scared and are reluctant to call themselves unabashed conservatives. Romney, McCain, George W. Bush with his "compassionate conservatives, Dole (Need I say anything about him?), George H. Bush repudiating Reagan with his notorious "Kinder, gentler America," Ford, Nixon, Eisenhower, Dewey, Willkie, Landon, and Hoover -- all were half-hearted and apologetic pseudo-conservatives.

Only four times in the last hundred years has a Republican campaigned as an unabashed conservative. Coolidge won big in 1924, and he would have won with a bigger landslide if he had chosen to run in 1928. Reagan won two landslides. Only Goldwater, running with a divided Republican Party one year after Kennedy was murdered, lost as a conservative. As for Reagan, he won because he held conservative values and never apologized for them or watered them down.

Conservatives ought to be winning. When Republicans stop listening to the din of leftist cant, they win.

Gallup had a poll recentlypublished a poll which shows that at the end of 2012, self-identified conservatives still outnumbered liberals in every state of the nation except for two -- Rhode Island has fewer conservatives (27.8%) than liberals (28.3% liberal), as does Massachusetts (28.3% to 30.5%). Gallup curiously does not play up the ideological gap. Instead, the February 1, 2013 article title given by Gallup was "Alabama, North Dakota, Wyoming Most Conservative States. Americans slightly less conservative, slightly more liberal[.]"

This apparent interest in hiding the conservative advantage in America is pervasive; the Gallup Polls invariably have titles to news stories which would cause no one to get curious. The Gallup Poll data twelve months earlier showed the same dramatic conservative advantage. So did the February 2011 Gallup Poll, entitled "Mississppi rates as Most Conservative US State." The August 2010 Gallup Poll tells us that "Wyoming, Mississippi, Utah rank as Most Conservative States." The February 2010 Gallup Poll reads, "Ideology: Three Deep South States Most Conservative." Gallup in August 2009 featured the headline "Political Ideology: 'Conservative' Label Prevails in South[.]"

A closer look at Gallup's polling results shows something startling. In February 2012, Gallup reported that conservatives outnumbered liberals in every state but Massachusetts. In February 2011, Gallup polling results showed that conservatives outnumbered liberals in every single state. The August 2010 results showed that conservatives outnumber liberals in every state but Rhode Island. In August 2009, Gallup polls showed that conservatives outnumbered liberals in every single state. The February 2009 poll showed conservatives outnumbering liberals in every state of the union.

As I have been pointing out for many years, the Battleground Poll results -- and there have been dozens of them in the last twelve years -- have always shown not only that self-identified conservatives outnumber liberals by a wide margin, but that conservatives constitute year in and year out about six out of every ten Americans, even when "Moderate" and "Unsure" are included as non-conservatives.

Left-leaning polling organizations like Public Policy Polling, in the aftermath of Obama's re-election, nevertheless reported that "very conservative" voters constituted 15% of respondents and "somewhat conservative" was 24%, while "very liberal" was 11% and "somewhat liberal" was 18%.

Other polling organizations which rely upon local news organizations for their results show the same pattern. A poll in January 2013, for example, showed that in Minnesota, conservatives outnumbered liberals 30% to 13%. In Connecticut, conservatives outnumber liberals by 26% to 20%. In Ohio, conservatives constituted 34% of respondents and liberals 18%. In Washington State, the conservative advantage over liberals was 34% to 20%. Other state polls show the same remarkable conservative advantage.

If only one poll or one polling organization showed the huge advantage that conservatives have over liberals, then that might be dismissed as flawed methodology or -- as many conservatives have sourly suggested -- the idea that people who call themselves "conservative" really don't know what the word means. But, again, the sheer volume of polls, the consistency of the ideological gap, and the constancy of the ideology gap undo this argument.

Why, then, do liberals have so much political success? One answer is voter fraud, which is why Democrats fought voter identification cards, and the other obstacle is the left's control of every institution in society. These, however, are only part of the story.

The principal problem is that Republicans act scared and are reluctant to call themselves unabashed conservatives. Romney, McCain, George W. Bush with his "compassionate conservatives, Dole (Need I say anything about him?), George H. Bush repudiating Reagan with his notorious "Kinder, gentler America," Ford, Nixon, Eisenhower, Dewey, Willkie, Landon, and Hoover -- all were half-hearted and apologetic pseudo-conservatives.

Only four times in the last hundred years has a Republican campaigned as an unabashed conservative. Coolidge won big in 1924, and he would have won with a bigger landslide if he had chosen to run in 1928. Reagan won two landslides. Only Goldwater, running with a divided Republican Party one year after Kennedy was murdered, lost as a conservative. As for Reagan, he won because he held conservative values and never apologized for them or watered them down.

Conservatives ought to be winning. When Republicans stop listening to the din of leftist cant, they win.